Saturday, March 06, 2010

Balthazar Breakfast

I've had some awesome dinners in the last three years. But to mark year #3 of dating, Matt surprised me with breakfast at Balthazar last Monday. (One of us is not a morning person, which made this an even more notable treat;-))

Located in SOHO, Balthazar is known for excellent French bistro food all times of the day. But breakfast was something especially special!

Shortly before 8am, there was hardly anyone else there other than a staff of friendly and attentive servers. But within 15 minutes, the parade had begun. It started with a middle-aged woman wearing a Davy Crockett hat. She sat in the corner, ordered an espresso and dove into a number of newspapers. She was clearly a regular.

The food was phenomenal! I had a Gruyere, herb and tomato omlette. It was fluffy and one of the most flavorful dishes I've ever had. The fresh herbs made it. And as if it couldn't get any better, potatoes and caramelized onion loaded with butter (ala Julia Child, not greasy) accompanied the meal. WOW! Matt had eggs benedict, with some of the richest and creamiest hollandaise sauce, with just the right amount of tang I've ever tried.

Another fun touch were the playing cards stuck to the ceiling. I asked the waiter about this and he said that a magician was hired to perform at the opening of the restaurant many years ago. Stars who attended the opening signed their names to different cards, which then found their way to the ceiling as part of the trick.